by Kevin Cody
Anthony Cole put the open ocean swim world on notice last summer by finishing second in the Dwight Crum Pier to Pier Swim at the International Surf Festival in Manhattan Beach. The then 17-year-old El Segundo High senior finished less than a minute behind Ryan Bullock, of Redondo Beach.
Bullock’s 2022 win was his seventh consecutive Pier-to-Pier victory in eight years (the race was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.)
In Sunday’s two-mile duel, just 12 seconds separated the 18-year-old Cole and the 39-year-old Bullock at the finish. But this time it was Cole who prevailed, in a time of 39:04.
In the women’s division Los Angeles County Lifeguard Kelsey Cummings, of El Segundo, retained her Pier to Pier title by finishing in 42:34, two minutes ahead of second place finisher Becca Mann, of Beverly Hills. Cummings’ win was her sixth consecutive Pier to Pier win. (Saturday evening, Cummngs also helped her Southern Section A lifeguards win the Taplin Bell Relay.)
Bumpy water and an opposing current resulted in slower than previous times for most of the 1,019 swimmers who finished the race.
Cumming’s 2022 time was 39:52. Bullock set the course record in 2019, in a time of 35:42. ER
